Am I missing out?

Every month or so a new member points out that a $30 knife works just fine and he thinks spending more is a waste. Sometimes they'll claim high performance or luxury cars are a waste, too, as all you need is a vehicle to get you from A to B. Essentially, there are guys who place function above every other benefit in everything from cars to guns, knives, & watches.

I'v known people like these. I've had them as friends. In my experience, they learn this behavior from their fathers. They cannot comprehend why someone like me would "waste" money on a Rolex or CRK knife. They will die with lots of money. I'll die happy. YMMV
 
luethge said:
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A non knife guy friend asked the value of this box. I asked him to guess, “$500?” … Yes, $500 😂. You may or may not be missing anything by not paying $500 + for a folder. I’d say that for me “collecting” is a progressive addiction, I love knives though. You can find quality folders from $35 to $150 that compete with $500 + folders ( China has some serious budget offerings these days ).

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Because threads need pics - Here’s a Les George VCEP Gen 1.

( I drive a Kia ).
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What's that little tease sitting on the top left corner?
 
Rob47 said:
There is a side to this we don’t talk about much. I am through spending above about $200. for a knife. I have experienced $700+ knives. I’ve also experienced loosing $700+ knives. Believe me, that hurts a lot more than loosing a $35. knife. Your mileage may vary ;)
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That is a good point. The (very few) knives or tools Ive lost hurt because I was sentimental. Not because of the value.

An argument could be made if you loose a knife and it hurts because of its value, maybe you really couldn’t afford it in the first place?

If you were a multibillionair, loosing a $700 knife wouldn’t hurt
 
Just about everything in life has the basic and high end version. When it comes to knives basic is just fine above that is status and collectable. That said I have a reeve inkosi user that is considered above basic and I'm ok with that because it serves my purpose and also makes me look cool, I need all the help I can get.
 
Locutus D'Borg said:
Every month or so a new member points out that a $30 knife works just fine and he thinks spending more is a waste. Sometimes they'll claim high performance or luxury cars are a waste, too, as all you need is a vehicle to get you from A to B. Essentially, there are guys who place function above every other benefit in everything from cars to guns, knives, & watches.

I'v known people like these. I've had them as friends. In my experience, they learn this behavior from their fathers. They cannot comprehend why someone like me would "waste" money on a Rolex or CRK knife. They will die with lots of money. I'll die happy. YMMV
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At least a high-end automobile can reel in the ladies, not sure a high-end knife will give that kind of ROI. :p
 
Slightly off topic. A number of years ago, a survey was taken of millionaires to find out what cars they drove (daily driver). The top vehicle was a Ford F-150 pickup. Wonder what knives they carried? 😃
 
Locutus D'Borg said:
Every month or so a new member points out that a $30 knife works just fine and he thinks spending more is a waste. Sometimes they'll claim high performance or luxury cars are a waste, too, as all you need is a vehicle to get you from A to B. Essentially, there are guys who place function above every other benefit in everything from cars to guns, knives, & watches.

I'v known people like these. I've had them as friends. In my experience, they learn this behavior from their fathers. They cannot comprehend why someone like me would "waste" money on a Rolex or CRK knife. They will die with lots of money. I'll die happy. YMMV
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o_Oo_O Must. Resist. This. Type. Of. Reasoning. 😂 🥲
 
Some people (chefs, tradespeople,...) use a knife a lot, day in day out. Over the time they use that knife, the price becomes a secondary consideration - they want the best tool for the job.

Others just enjoy a well-made, aesthetically pleasing object, whether they use it hard or not at all.

Either is fine in my book.
 
eveled said:
That is a good point. The (very few) knives or tools Ive lost hurt because I was sentimental. Not because of the value.

An argument could be made if you loose a knife and it hurts because of its value, maybe you really couldn’t afford it in the first place?

If you were a multibillionair, loosing a $700 knife wouldn’t hurt
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My recent loss for me was a TSA confiscation DPX Triple Black. I was late for a flight and didn't have the time to put it in the mail and get back through security. That knife had been my EDC for several years. The sentimental loss was far more than the monetary loss. That flight had a layover in Vegas where I won $300 on a airport slot machine, so the sting wasn't as bad. I have a new DPX at the house, but the action just isn't the same, so I'm back on the hunt for an EDC!
 
calm said:
I only have experience with the Korean made KIAs, 2015 onward, and they do not seem to have more issues than most cars. I have had Mercedes and the newer ones are not that reliable. The pre-1990s, different story.
Maybe the KIA/Hyundai made in other countries have a different quality than the Korean made ones :confused: .
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I don't have a dog in this fight,but I have a friend who has +200k miles he says no problems, it's a 2010
 
Most knives hold up really well in normal usage, also expensive ones, unless there is fancy patterned colored Ti, a coated blade or similar. I have a Hinderer Fatty WC that I have used a lot, and still the blade doesn't show any major scratches, etc., when cleaned it looks not new, but real nice. Think about how long people have used the same Buck 110 in the past, and if it looks like "a beater" after years of use, or reasonably nice. So, unless you really abuse a knife, and you are OK with minor use marks, it will hold up OK and stay nice, for a long time, so $300 or $400 initial price makes not much difference.

I'm not a Rolex or Omega user, but my father wore an Omega Seamaster for 50 years, every day. There is something to be said for quality and support.

Next to obvious abuse, the most stress you can put on a knife is by continuous assemby/disassembly.
 
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donkey12 said:
So first off don't read this the wrong way, it's an honest question. Am I missing out on not owning one of these high dollar knives? It blows my mind that some of the folders are $500 and up to Lord knows. Call it 500 to $1000. Clearly they are works of art and top quality, but do they perform better? Is it just pride of ownership? I also don't own a Rolex, a Casio for $60 works great. I'm middle aged and the price tag isn't the issue. For me I think it's the value. We're all different and I'm not putting anyone down, heck maybe I'm missing out on a quality knife!
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It really depends. I have noticed with some higher end brands, specifically my Cheburkov, has a superior heat treatment on their M390 than any sub $300 knife I've owned. Whether or not that is worth it to you is completely subjective. The mainstream high end brands like Hinderer, Strider, and others I don't see the value. CRK charges what they do based on that they invented the frame lock, and their history of incredibly tight tolerances. I personally don't like them, but I respect what they have done for the knife community.

I will never spend $500+ on a Chinese made knife. My experience is they run their PM steels soft in sub $300 knives, and don't trust the higher end ones will be any better.
 
Rob47 said:
Slightly off topic. A number of years ago, a survey was taken of millionaires to find out what cars they drove (daily driver). The top vehicle was a Ford F-150 pickup. Wonder what knives they carried? 😃
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Farmers, so likely a seed-corn branded slip-joint freebie.
 
I have the way out of the apparent dilemma. Become a collector of quality budget knives. This is the era to do it. So many inexpensive quality knives. Too many to list. My most expensive knife cost around $150. I have two others that were more than $100. The rest vary from $18 (Opinel) to $85 (Spyderco Delica). I will reserve my cash for my other passions (pool/billiards and tea).
 
I was in the same place as the op for the first few yrs of buying knives. Couldn’t ever see spending 4-500 or more. Mainly because there were plenty of appealing knives in my under $300 limit.

That all changed when I recently went to the blade show for the first time this year. I didn’t see the value in spending that much on a knife till I finally got to handle them. Don’t think I’ve spent less than $350 on a knife since. In this year alone I’ve bought a few hinderers, a crk, and every Les George I could find.

My advice to the op, just don’t ever touch one and you won’t ever feel the value!!
 
irsh said:
Farmers, so likely a seed-corn branded slip-joint freebie.
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My grandfather, a farmer/MD and salt of the earth guy, was not a knife guy at all, he could afford any knife he desired, but always got some sort of cheap Chinese multitool to use. He sharpened them on his shop grinder so they didn't last long anyways.
 
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